A Walk In The Woods
By: Bill Bryson
Reviewed by: Alex Gazis
In the book A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson, Bill Bryson and a long lost friend named Stephen Katz decide to hike the Appalachian Trail together. The book was not one of my favorite non-fiction books, but was an okay read, and was funny at times. Bill Bryson had come back to the U.S. after living in Britain for twenty years. Since he came to live in Hanover, New Hampshire and his backyard was part of the trail he thought it was a good idea to learn more about it, and reacquaint himself with his native country. Bill Bryson wanted a companion to go along on the trip, so he took Stephen Katz, a man Bill had known from earlier experiences. Stephen was a very over weight and out-of-shape man. When they met up Katz was extremely over packed with “Little Debbies Cakes”, and other junk food not needed. They started the trail in Georgia and follow the trail up to Vermont. Along the trail they meet many men and woman along that we learn about. Besides the people they meet they really get a good glimpse of the great lands of the Appalachian, with its quiet forests and tranquil lakes. The 2,100-mile trail may seem impossible and gruesome to do in six months, but the many experiences with Katz and Bryson along the trail make the trip almost sound a little bit fun. Katz, being a man who eats a lot packed lots of food, he also walked much slower than Bryson, so Bill would walk a mile and have to wait 5 minutes until Katz shows up. They even lost each other a few times, which then Bryson would be forced to search the area walking in circles until their paths cross. The people they meet along the trail make Bryson and Katz’s trip much better. For instance, one person they meet named Mary Ellen stays with Bill and Katz for a lot of the trip, she was always calling them overweight wimps, and other things. The funny part about it was she wasn’t so skinny herself. She even told some hikers that they were overweight wimps. They learned a lot from Mary Ellen though, and when they had just met they needed food and she gave them some. Friendly people and hilarious people seemed to be frequently meeting Bill and Stephen along the trail. I suggest this book to anyone who likes a good laugh, non-fiction, adventure story.
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